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Australia booked their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while co-hosts the United States finished top of Group D despite suffering a dramatic late defeat to Turkey in a thrilling final round of group matches.

The final standings saw the USA finish first in the group, Australia secure automatic qualification in second place, and Paraguay remain strongly positioned to progress as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.

At San Francisco, Australia played out a tense goalless draw against Paraguay, a result that ultimately worked in favour of both sides.

The Socceroos entered the match knowing avoiding defeat would likely be enough to secure progression, and they successfully managed the contest to finish on four points. Their superior goal difference over Paraguay earned them second place and direct qualification for the Round of 32.

Australia’s players celebrated wildly at full-time after confirming their return to the knockout rounds, where they will face the runners-up from Group G.

Paraguay, meanwhile, adopted a cautious approach and focused on defensive discipline. They struggled to create opportunities in the opening stages and did not register an attempt until the second half after switching to a back-three system.

Their best opportunity arrived late on when substitute Mauricio came close to snatching a winner that would have dramatically altered the qualification picture and left Australia in danger of elimination.

Despite settling for a draw, Paraguay remain in a strong position in the third-place standings and look well placed to advance.

Meanwhile, Group D leaders USA ended their group campaign with their first defeat of the tournament after Turkey claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory at SoFi Stadium.

Although qualification had already been secured for Mauricio Pochettino’s side before kick-off, the Americans looked set to maintain their unbeaten record after Auston Trusty opened the scoring from a corner inside three minutes.

Turkey, already eliminated after consecutive defeats to Australia and Paraguay, responded impressively and finally found the attacking edge that had deserted them earlier in the tournament.

Arda Guler levelled after 10 minutes before Baris Yilmaz completed the turnaround midway through the first half.

USA responded quickly after the restart as Sebastian Berhalter struck from the edge of the box to restore parity.

The second half also saw the return of captain Christian Pulisic from a calf injury, and the forward came close to making an instant impact when he struck the post.

However, Turkey had the final word.

Deep into stoppage time, substitute Kaan Ayhan bundled home from close range in the 98th minute to secure a memorable 3-2 victory and give Turkey a positive ending to their World Cup campaign despite their elimination.

The defeat did little damage to the USA, who still advanced as Group D winners and will now face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32.

Final Group D standings saw USA finish first, Australia qualify automatically in second, while Paraguay remained hopeful of joining them in the knockout stage.

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At least 10 countries have officially been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the group stage continues to produce dramatic results ahead of the Round of 32.

Curacao became the latest nation to exit the tournament after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast, ending the Caribbean side’s historic debut World Cup campaign.

The Elephants secured victory thanks to a brace from Nicolas Pépé, a result that sealed their place in the knockout stage while simultaneously confirming Curacao’s elimination.

Several other teams have also seen their World Cup dreams come to an end following disappointing performances in the group stage.

In the North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) region, Panama and Haiti have already been knocked out alongside Curacao after failing to accumulate enough points to progress.

Europe has also witnessed a number of early exits, with Scotland, Turkey and the Czech Republic all eliminated after falling short in their respective groups.

From the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Qatar, Uzbekistan and Jordan have been confirmed as eliminated, bringing an end to their participation in the global tournament.

Tunisia remains the only African country officially out of the competition so far, while several other African representatives are still battling for places in the knockout rounds.

Countries Eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Curacao
Panama
Haiti
Scotland
Turkey
Czech Republic
Qatar
Uzbekistan
Jordan
Tunisia
With the group stage nearing its conclusion, six more teams are expected to be eliminated before the Round of 32 lineup is finalized, as countries continue to fight for the remaining qualification spots.

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Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre, has dismissed claims that she is planning to dump the national team, over alleged demands by officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

This follows a viral social media post from a Facebook page in her name that Plumptre has insisted is “fake”.

She has claimed that it is the handiwork of conmen, who are also soliciting money from unsuspecting Nigerians.

“I want to make it clear that I never made those comments and I have never asked anyone for money.

“The Facebook account circulating those claims is fake, and the people behind it are trying to deceive and exploit Nigerians,” Plumptre said.

Plumptre also stressed that she never made such comments and has never asked anyone for money.

She disclosed that law enforcement agencies have been notified and are working to identify those behind the impersonation, while efforts are underway to have the fake Facebook account taken down.

“We are taking the necessary steps to report the account and bring those responsible to justice. I urge everyone to ignore the posts and remain vigilant against online scammers,” she added.

Plumptre urged fans to ignore the fraudulent posts and remain vigilant against online scammers using her identity.